Boat standoff and locking device



July 7, 1964 0. J. MORRIS BQAT STANDOFF AND LOCKING DEVICE Filed Nov. 13, 1962 INVENTOR.

DONALD J. MORRIS BY W ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,139,852 BOAT STANDOFF AND LOCKING DEVICE Donald J. Morris, Scott St., Lake Milton, Ohio Filed Nov. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 237,031 3 Claims. (Cl. 114-230) This invention relates to a device for positioning a boat adjacent a dock and holding it in such position in a yielding manner.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a device for holding a boat adjacent a dock while permitting controlled movement relative thereto.

A further object. of the invention is the provision of a device for holding a boat to a clock which incorporates means for locking the device to the boat and means for securing the device to a dock.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a simple and economical boat standofl? device by which a boat may be held in spaced relation to a dock and permitted a degree of movement relative thereto while protecting the boat from damage as would occur if the same touched the dock.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a boat standoff and locking device which may be quickly and easily installed in pairs on a dock to hold a boat adjacent thereto. The boat standoff and locking device disclosed herein comprises a simple means of tying up a boat to a dock and avoids the necessity of using fenders or bumpers or other cushioning means as commonly employed. The device disclosed herein prevents the boat from touching the dock while holding it in a yieldable fashion and thereby prevents the boat from being damaged. The device disclosed herein may be locked to the boat so that the boat is in effect locked to the dock and the locking means is easily unlocked and disconnected at the boat end of the device when desired.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying -drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a dock showing the boat standoff and locking device attached thereto, broken lines illustrating a portion of a boat.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the boat standoff device with parts broken away and parts in cross section and wherein broken lines illustrate a portion of a boat.

By referring to the drawings and FIGURE 1 in particular, it will be seen that a dock is generally indicated by the numeral and has side frame members 11 and 12 and a supporting post 13. On L-shaped angle member 14 having a plurality of offset apertured brackets 15: 15 on the vertical portion thereof is secured to the dock 10 by fasteners 14A which are preferably arranged so that they cannot be readily removed. A cylinder 16 has a bifurcated apertured extension 17 engaged on the centermost of the apertured brackets 15 and a pivot rod 18 is positioned through the brackets 15 as well as the apertured extension 17. A pair of arms 19, 19 extend diagonally from the forward part of the cylinder 16 to eyelets 20, 20 which are engaged about the pivot rod 18 and adjacent the inner sides of the outermost of the apertured brackets 15, 15. The cylinder 16 is thus held in pivotal but otherwise fixed relation to the angle member 14 which is secured to the dock 10.

A piston rod 21 is positioned partially wtihin and partially without the cylinder 16 as best seen in FIGURE 2 of the drawings with a pair of coil springs 22 and 23 positioned on either side of the piston which comprises a disc secured to the inner end of the piston rod 21 and respectively engaged against the closed end of the cylinder 16 and the inner side of a threaded cap 24. The cap 24 is centrally apertured to permit the piston rod 21 to move relative thereto and is preferably provided with a pin 25 which is peened in position to lock the cap 24 t to the cylinder 16 after it is installed.

The outer end of the piston rod 21 is downturned as at 26 and the end thereof is apertured. A pair of curved arms 27, 27 are pivoted to the piston rod by a pivot 28 in spaced relation to the downwardly curved end 26 thereof and the free ends of the curved arms 27, 27 are apertured so that they can be moved through an eyelet such as indicated at 29 in the drawings. When the apertured arms 27, 27 are moved through the eyelet 29 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings a padlock such as indicated at 30 may be positioned therethrough so as to lock the arms 27, 27 to the downturned end 26 of the piston rod 21. The eyelet 29 is attached to the forepart of the boat such as seen in FIGURE 1 and indicated by the numeral 31 and it will occur to those skilled in the art that the length of the cylinder 16 and the piston rod 21 will be such to position the boat in suitable relation to the dock 10 and any and all parts thereof.

It will occur to those skilled in the art that a du licate assembly is used at the rear end of the boat so that the boat is held in spaced relation to the dock at both its forward and rearward ends. Wave motion or motion caused by other boats will be imparted to the boat 31 as is customary but the boat 31 will not move against the dock 10 and therefore no fenders, bumpers, or other cushioning devices are required or needed. At the same time the boat is permitted to move relative to the dock 10 by the movement of the piston and piston rod 21 as it acts to compress one or the other of the springs 22 and 23 which control the degree of movement permitted.

There is therefore no danger of injuring the portion of the boat to which the eyelets 29 are secured as there is no rigid connection therewith.

It will thus be seen that a boat standoff and locking device has been disclosed which when used in pairs secures a boat to a dock and at the same time protects the boat against touching the dock or any part thereof. It will occur to those skilled in the art that while the eyelet 19 is shown on the center line of the boat the device is equally eifective when it is secured to eyelets positioned on either side of the boat.

It will thus be seen that a boat standoif and locking device has been disclosed which meets the several objects of the invention, and having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A boat standoif and locking device comprising a member of angular configuration arranged for attachment to a dock, a piston and cylinder assembly, the cylinder portion of said assembly being pivoted to said member so as to extend sidewardly therefrom, a piston rod connected to said piston of said piston and cylinder assembly and extending outwardly of said cylinder and having a downturned apertured end and at least one curved arm pivoted to said piston rod adjacent said downturned end and apertured and arranged so that its apertured end registers with said apertured end of said piston rod for receiving a padlock therethrough, springs caged in said cylinder on the opposite sides of said piston and normally biasing said piston to a central position in said cylinder.

2. A boat standoff and locking device comprising an elongated body member having a horizontal section and a vertical section, said horizontal section having apertures for receiving fasteners to secure said body member to a dock, said vertical section having at least one projecting apertured bracket thereon, a pivot pin positioned through said apertured bracket and secured thereto, a piston and cylinder assembly, said cylinder having a closed end with a bifurcated apertured extension thereon engaged on said pivot pin with portions of said bifurcated apertured extension positioned on either side of said apertured bracket, a pair of arms secured to said cylinder outwardly from said extension the inner ends of said arms having eyelets therein and secured to said pivot pin.

3. A boat standoif and locking device comprising an elongated body member having a horizontal section and a vertical section, said horizontal section having apertures for receiving fasteners to secure said body member to a dock, said vertical section having projecting apertured brackets longitudinally spaced with respect to one another,

a pivot pin positioned through said apertured brackets and secured thereto, a piston and cylinder assembly, said cylinder having a closed end with a bifurcated apertured extension thereon engaged on said pivot pin with portions of said bifurcated apertured extension on either side of one of said apertured brackets, 21 pair of arms secured to said cylinder outwardly from said extension the inner ends of said arms having eyelets therein and secured to said pivot pin adjacent the others of said apertured brackets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,094,610 Steinhauer Apr. 28, 1914 1,786,994 Halberstadter Dec. 30, 1930 2,155,043 Gorskey Apr. 18, 1939 2,588,682 Wyeth Mar. 11, 1952 2,899,194 Zumwalt Aug. 11, 1959 

2. A BOAT STANDOFF AND LOCKING DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY MEMBER HAVING A HORIZONTAL SECTION AND A VERTICAL SECTION, SAID HORIZONTAL SECTION HAVING APERTURES FOR RECEIVING FASTENERS TO SECURE SAID BODY MEMBER TO A DOCK, SAID VERTICAL SECTION HAVING AT LEAST ONE PROJECTING APERTURED BRACKET THEREON, A PIVOT PIN POSITIONED THROUGH SAID APERTURED BRACKET AND SECURED THERETO, A PISTON AND CYLINDER ASSEMBLY, SAID CYLINDER HAVING A CLOSED END WITH A BIFURCATED APERTURED EXTENSION THEREON ENGAGED ON SAID PIVOT PIN WITH PORTIONS OF SAID BIFURCATED APERTURED EXTENSION POSITIONED ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID APERTURED BRACKET, A PAIR OF ARMS SECURED TO SAID CYLINDER 